Humanity & Poignancy

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, he said:

"Man.
Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;
the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;
he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

I came across this quote on a wall of my coworkers and it struck a cord with me. While money and health are important, so is living in in the present, being aware of your life and living it to the fullest. I too get caught up in the race to make money, then pay the bills when my health is struggling. My goal is to live in the present more, strive to be healthier, and not be ruled as strongly by the almighty dollar. 

Using up Some Beads, Kind of

I decided to spend a bit of time beading outside this afternoon. I was looking through my beads, trying to figure out what to make, when I remembered the challenge. 

I have a fair amount of beads, but several containers with only a few beads in them. I decided to see if I could use up the left over beads.  While I didn't use them all up, I used up some of them.  It was great to get creative with them and make it happen.

#1 Make Earrings- Done.
#2 Use up Some Beads - Done.
#11 Make a Beaded Gift- Done.
#13 Make an Inspiration Board - Done.
#16 Make Something Green - Done.
#20 Inspired by Spring- Done.

Feeling Green

I've been sitting at home with a stomach bug. I decided to be somewhat productive with my beads, so I tackled another challenge.

While feeling a bit green, I decided to tackle making something green.  Malachite is my favorite stone and I bought some chips last time I went bead shopping on my own.  I have made a tree similar to this one that had been a gift for my mom. It turned out beautiful, but not exactly like I had pictured.  I decided to make another one. This one came out more like I had envisioned.

#1 Make Earrings- Done.
#11 Make a Beaded Gift- Done.
#13 Make an Inspiration Board - Done.
#16 Make Something Green - Done.
#20 Inspired by Spring- Done.

Beaded Gifting

Another challenge listed is to make a beaded gift.  While beading with my cousin last weekend, one of the necklaces I made I realized would be a perfect gift for my sister-in-law.  While I didn't set out to make a gift, it was an excellent coincidence.

The necklace I made was out of chain, amethyst, and fresh water pearls. I love the contrast of the stone with the pearls and the chain.  The gift was a hit, although I did have to make a new chain for her as the length was a bit too short.

#1 Make Earrings- Done.
#11 Make a Beaded Gift- Done.
#13 Make an Inspiration Board - Done.
#20 Inspired by Spring- Done.

Inspired by Spring

I spent some time hanging out with my cousin Stacey this past weekend. Stacey was telling me about a type of necklace she was interested in, so we went bead shopping.

I started off making a necklace Inspired by Spring.  This is #20 on the 30 Day Bead Challenge.  The style was one that my friend Bethany created, you can see her examples on her blog, Bethany Renee Jewelry.  Stacey wanted a bright, bold, fun necklace. She picked out some beads and the blues and greens reminded me of spring.  The added light green rondelle's brightened it even further. So much fun!

#1 Make Earrings- Done.
#13 Make an Inspiration Board - Done.
#20 Inspired by Spring- Done.

Challenge Earrings

Today I ticked another item off the 30 Day Bead Challenge! 

I brought my beads and findings with me to the Northfield Teen Center today.  One of the volunteers and two of the teens played with me and had fun making some bracelets. I made a pair of earrings. I am struggling with how much I like them, but here they are non-the-less.

 

#1 Make Earrings- Done.
#13 Make an Inspiration Board - Done.

30 Day Beading Challenge

My friend Bethany over at Bethany Renee Jewelry is doing this challenge called the 30 Day Challenge for Craft Month, and it is all about the beading.
She has inspired me to take the challenge myself.

I am not planning on tackling an item every single day, as I find my life a bit too hectic for that.  What I am going to do is tick off at least one to two items every week until the list is complete.

The first day of my challenge was #13 - To Create an Inspiration Board.  Instead of creating a physical board that would require me to tear pages out of magazines and to remember to print off images I find online, I decided to create an electronic inspiration board on the website Pinterest.  You can check out my inspirations here.